The industrial and information revolutions changed the world. Although they brought many advances to civilization, they also brought many social problems, including competition and its related stress and increased isolation among people.

This stance is named for the shape that the arms hold, which is a circle. In this stance, you stand with your legs apart and knees bent, and you form an open circle with your arms in front of your body, with the palms facing each other or angled slightly down toward the Dan Tian.

You can read Human Kinetics e-books on desktop, laptop, and various mobile devices, as long as you have authorized the device or e-reader app to read e-books protected by Adobe’s digital rights management (DRM).

Internationally renowned instructor Master Pixiang Qiu and mind–body exercise expert Weimo Zhu demonstrate the most effective forms for harnessing the healing power of chi, or energy. Follow their lead and improve balance and coordination, relieve stress, and reduce pain and muscle stiffness.

Tai Chi Illustrated is a step-by-step guide complete with detailed instructions and full-color photo sequences for the basic movements and popular forms, such as Grasp Sparrow’s Tail and Part the Wild Horse’s Mane. You will connect the forms to follow the yang-style sample routines, or create your own to address your health and fitness needs.

Whether you are completely new to tai chi or have practiced for years, Tai Chi Illustrated will you be your guide to the path of better health and self-awareness.

Master Pixiang Qiu is director of the Chinese Wushu (martial
arts) Research Center of Shanghai University of Sports. A veteran tai
chi instructor, Qiu was named a national master of traditional exercise
by the Chinese government. The International Wushu Federation also
elected him the first international referee in 1990, named him as one of
China’s famous wushu professors in 1995, and rated him as a Chinese
wushu ninth duan, the highest level in wushu, in 2003. He was the wushu
chief judge for the 11th, 12th, 13th, and 14th Asian Games and the chief
judge for the 2nd, 4th, and 7th World Wushu Championships. He was
designated as an excellent national sports referee and has been ranked
as a national top 10 wushu referee.

Professor Qiu has published multiple books in Chinese on tai chi and
wushu and has lectured worldwide. He gave the keynote address on tai chi
at the 2009 American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation
and Dance (AAHPERD) convention and, based on his tai chi teaching and
contribution to the promotion of culture exchange, was made an honorary
citizen of the city of Dallas in 2009.

Weimo Zhu, PhD, is an internationally known scholar in physical
activity and health research at the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign, where he regularly teaches mind–body exercise classes
at both the university and community levels. He has practiced Chinese
mind–body exercises, including tai chi and qi gong, for more than 25
years and has been instrumental in introducing them in the United States
and around the world. He has given demonstrations and lectures on
Chinese mind–body exercises in the United States, China, South Korea,
and the Czech Republic. He was awarded a NIH grant to study the effect
of long-term mind–body exercise on cancer survivors and presented the
research findings at the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)
annual meetings in 2009.

“Tai Chi Illustrated is one of the first books by a ninth-duan
master to be available in English. It is an unprecedented contribution
to the field and a landmark achievement for Professor Qiu.”